Tonight’s DInner: Cajun Shrimp

Its a cold and blustery day here in New York. Its hard to believe it is April and last week was so warm you could wear shorts. Today its in the 40s and so windy it takes your breath away!

We definitely needed a hot meal for dinner. I’ve really been trying to eat healthy and I was in the mood for something spicy so I decided on “Cajun Shrimp”. I’ve tried several recipes over the years but this one is the winner–quick, easy, little prep time and…delicious!

I normally serve it over Brown Basmati rice but it could easily pair with couscous, quinoa, grits–basically any grain you have on hand. They could even be a great base for a wrap.

SO …the recipe:

Start your rice first, I use an Aroma Rice Cooker and the brown rice takes about 30 minutes. Do your vegetable and shrimp prep while this starts cooking. The shrimp literally take about 5 minutes to cook so you have plenty of time.

Cajun Shrimp–serves 4-6

1 1/2 pounds medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Optional: white cooking wine

1-Place all spices in a zipper bag, shake to mix. Add cleaned shrimp and shake to coat.

2-Heat oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Once heated add shrimp. Make sure they have room around them so you can flip them. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until cooked through.

3- I serve over rice but you can serve over grain of choice, each serving is about 5 oz cooked shrimp.

Optional– add a small amount of cooking wine to deglaze the pan and spoon over shrimp.

The shrimp goes great with steamed green beans but serve with a vegetable of your choice.

I can honestly tell you there are never any leftovers from this recipe! Enjoy!!

Not in the mood for Cajun? How about Thai Curry? Check out Katherine’s Shrimp Curry and some of the other Seafood recipes for even more options!